The present invention is directed to the field of thermostats and more particularly relates to thermostats having the ability to communicate externally.
Thermostats are well known devices for controlling temperature within a selected space or grouping of spaces. Microprocessor based thermostats are now widely available as reliable devices for achieving temperature control.
Typically, an operator could enter a series of times and temperatures for controlling selected space or grouping of spaces through a particular temperature according to the schedule desired by the operator. Thereafter, the thermostat would automatically control the space or grouping of spaces temperature according to the schedule entered by the operator.
One problem associated with this kind of a thermostat was that the operator had to be physically located at the thermostat in order to make changes to the time or temperature data. If for example it was desired to change the temperature in the middle of the night, it was inconvenient to get out of bed and go to the thermostat to change the temperature.
Another problem was that as advancements were made to thermostat technology, old thermostats became obsolete. It would be beneficial if microprocessor based thermostats could be modified without a complete changeout of thermostat equipment.